supports the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement againstIsrael, protested Azoulay’s mistreatment. Professor Yehuda Shenhav from Tel Aviv University, a radical scholar who insists that the Mizrahim inIsraelare in reality Arab Jews victimized by Zionism,asserted that: “Few people dispute the fact that Ariella Azoulay is one of the most important

researchers in cultural studies inIsraeltoday." He also noted several

recent cases of “persecution of lecturers in a political context,”

adding: “this is one of the crudest instances of preferring sectoral

considerations over academic excellence.” Another political activist

from theHebrewUniversity, Professor Yaron Ezrahi, expressed his anger at Bar IlanUniversityfor refusing to employ Azoulay because of her political views. In his opinion, “This could contaminate the entire higher

education system inIsrael.”

Professor Ezrahi should not worry about “the contamination of the entire

Top Israeli professors charge Bar-IlanUniversity with political persecution

Dr. Ariella Azoulay, a professor in Bar-Ilan's Hermeneutics and Cultural Studies program, says the university denied her tenure and promotion due to her leftist leanings.

By Or Kashti

Some 70 prominent lecturers from various universities nationwide this week accused Bar-IlanUniversity of political persecution and denying lecturers promotion and tenure due to their political opinions and activity.

The lecturers called on the Council For Higher Education to look into the university's appointment procedures, following its decision to deny tenure to Dr. Ariella Azoulay last year. The university also recently decided - again - not to promote Dr. Menachem Klein, of the political science department, to professor.

Bar-Ilan dismissed the allegations saying "decisions about promoting lecturers are made solely on the basis of their academic achievements."

About a month ago Bar-Ilan rejected Azoulay's appeal to reconsider the appointment committee's decision not to grant her promotion and tenure. Consequently, Azoulay will stop teaching in Bar-Ilan's Hermeneutics and Cultural Studies program, as she has been doing since 1999.

Azoulay, who has published about 10 books and numerous essays in prominent journals, said the university denied her tenure and promotion because of her leftist leanings.

"Dr. Azoulay is one of the world's leading researchers in photography and visual culture," the lecturers' group wrote to the Council and Bar-Ilan's president and rector.

In view of Azoulay's international recognition, "the university's decision raises a heavy suspicion of political persecution," they wrote.

Prof. Yaron Ezrachi of HebrewUniversity's political science department said "Bar-Ilan has learned to conceal political considerations, disguising them as academic processes. We fear the precedent of firing lecturers for radical political views of any kind, despite their international academic excellence. This could contaminate the entire higher education system in Israel."